learning from those wiser than the world

In Honour of the Holy Apostles

In honour of the Apostles, whose Synaxi we will celebrate on June 30, the day after our celebration of the great beacons of the Gospel, Sts. Peter and Paul, I wanted to share this excerpt from Bishop Augoustinos Kantiotis’ book Follow Me, p. 359:

What mission can compare to that of the Apostles, and what offering of love to theirs? In their entirety, they are the first after the One. Therefore, the Church, founded on their labours and their blood, is called the Apostolic Church. It is a name, which, so as not to remain a simple title, makes the deepest obligations on Christians of every age who are members of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which Orthodoxy is. Our Church is called “Apostolic.” In everything we should maintain apostolic teaching, apostolic life and polity, for woe to us if below the epigraph “Apostolic” we hide an ideology and life that does not bear the apostolic stamp.

The Apostles demolished the pagan world, enlightened nations, and created a new world. These twelve led thousands of souls to Christ. How did they do this? By their simple teaching, which sketched before their listeners Jesus Christ Crucified and Resurrected from the dead. They attracted people by the miracles they worked and through which they confirmed their divine teaching, which seemed so strange to the ears of the idolaters and Jews, for whom the preaching of the Cross was foolish and offensive. They attracted people by their holy example. In the Apostles, Christ’s words found complete harmony. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:16). Through all these things – brilliant teaching, astonishing miracles, and radiant way of life – the Apostles were shown to be shinning mirrors of the Logos, in which people saw the wondrous image of Jesus Christ. They were shown to be suns shinning, warming, and giving life. They were sown to be the clearest proof of our religion’s heavenly origin.